Perforation Apparatus for Cable Jackets and Related Systems and Methods

ABSTRACT

A perforation apparatus for use with cable jackets and related systems and methods thereof is provided. The tool includes a pliers assembly having at least a first jaw member positioned opposing a second jaw member, wherein relative movement of the first and second jaw members is controlled with at least a first handle and a second handle. A first knife edge is on the first jaw member and a second knife edge is on the second jaw member. Each of the first and second knife edges are oriented substantially parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to a length of first and second handles. The first and second knife edges are movable towards one another. A spacing device is connected to the pliers assembly, wherein the spacing device controls a closing distance between the first knife edge and the second knife edge.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/690,230,entitled “Perforation Apparatus for Cable Jackets and Related Systemsand Methods” filed Nov. 30, 2012, which claims benefit from U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/565,760, entitled, “Perforation ToolFor Cable Jackets” filed Dec. 1, 2011, the entire disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to cable jackets and moreparticularly is related to a perforation apparatus for cable jackets andrelated systems and methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Elongated cables are found in use in many industries including thosethat conduct deep drilling, such as within the oil drilling industry.These cables may be used to transmit information and data from adrilling region having the drilling equipment to a control centerlocated remote to the drilling region. Frequently, the cables havejackets, shells or exterior armor that is used to protect the conductorwithin the cable. At times, these jackets or shells may need to beremoved to gain access to the conductor. Current methods of removingthis material includes using a sharp knife or tool to cut through thejacket, or items such as a hot knife or flame source to remove thejacket with ease.

These methods and tools can be hazardous, as workers can become easilycut with the sharp knives and heat sources may be dangerous to use inenvironments where flammable materials, such as fossil fuels, arepresent, In addition, many of these conventional tools tend to damagethe cable, or the conductor portion interior of the jacket. Damage canalso occur to areas of the jacket where removal was not necessary ordesired. Damage to the cable, conductor or jacket can result in higherinstallation and product costs, since a damaged cable may have to bereplaced when it is not fully reliable. For example, some cables withdamaged jackets may be incapable of sealing properly when they are usedin deep drilling operations, and thus, are likely to fail.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a perforation apparatusand related systems and methods thereof. Briefly described, inarchitecture, one embodiment of the apparatus, among others, can beimplemented as follows. A pliers assembly has at least a first jawmember positioned opposing a second jaw member, wherein relativemovement of the first and second jaw members is controlled with at leasta first handle and a second handle. A first knife edge is on the firstjaw member and a second knife edge is on the second jaw member, each ofthe first and second knife edges are oriented substantially parallel toone another, wherein each of the first and second knife edges areoriented substantially perpendicular to a length of first and secondhandles, wherein the first and second knife edges are movable towardsone another. A spacing device is connected to the pliers assembly,wherein the spacing device controls a closing distance between the firstknife edge and the second knife edge.

The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing a perforationsystem. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of thesystem, among others, can be implemented as follows. A cable has atleast a conductor and a cable jacket positioned radially about theconductor. A perforation apparatus has an elongated handle connected toa movable jaw having at least two jaw tips, wherein a first knife edgeis formed on a first of the at least two jaw tips and a second knifeedge is formed on a second of the at least two jaw tips, wherein each ofthe first and second knife edges is oriented substantially parallel toone another, and wherein each of the first and second knife edges areoriented substantially perpendicular to a length of the elongatedhandle. Two perforations segments are formed within the cable jacket ofthe cable by the perforation apparatus when the perforation apparatus isplaced in contact with the cable jacket and the movable jaw is movedtowards a closed position.

The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing methods ofcreating a perforation within a cable jacket of a cable. In this regard,one embodiment of such a method, among others, can be broadly summarizedby the following steps: contacting the cable jacket of the cable with afirst jaw member and second jaw member of a perforation apparatus,wherein at least a portion of the cable jacket is positioned between thefirst and second jaw members; and closing a distance between the firstand second jaw members, thereby positioning a first knife edge on thefirst jaw member and a second knife edge on the second jaw member atleast partially within the cable jacket to form at least two perforationsegments, wherein each of the first and second knife edges are orientedsubstantially perpendicular to an elongated length of the perforationapparatus, and wherein each of the first and second knife edges areoriented substantially parallel to an elongated length of the cable.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustration of a perforation apparatus, inaccordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side-view illustration of the first and second jaw membersof the perforation apparatus, in accordance with the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top-view illustration of the perforation apparatus, inaccordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cable used with the perforationapparatus, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustration of the first and second jaw membersof the perforation apparatus in use with a cable and jacket, inaccordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustration of the first and second jaw membersof the perforation apparatus in use with a cable and jacket, inaccordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustration of a cable having a cablejacket, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of creating a perforationwithin a cable jacket of a cable, in accordance with a third exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustration of a perforation apparatus 10 for usewith cable jackets, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The perforation apparatus for use with cablejackets 10, which may be referred to herein as ‘perforation apparatus10’ includes a pliers assembly 20 having at least a first jaw member 30positioned opposing a second jaw member 32, wherein relative movement ofthe first and second jaw members 30, 32 is controlled with at least afirst handle 40 and a second handle 42. A first knife edge 50 is on thefirst jaw member 30 and a second knife edge 52 is on the second jawmember 32. Each of the first and second knife edges 50, 52 are orientedsubstantially parallel to one another, wherein each of the first andsecond knife edges 50, 52 are oriented substantially perpendicular to alength of first and second handles 40, 42, wherein the first and secondknife edges 50, 52 are movable towards one another. A spacing device 60is connected to the pliers assembly 20, wherein the spacing device 60controls a closing distance 70 of the first knife edge and the secondknife edge 50, 52.

The perforation apparatus 10 may be used to perforate and remove aportion of a cable jacket from a cable. The cable may be any wire,transmission line or similar structure that may be used in a variety ofoperations, including deep drilling operations, such as with onshore oroffshore oil drilling. For example, the cable may be part of a well boretool which is installed during a completion phase of a well developmentprocess. Generally, the cable may include a conductor portion composedof any material, such as copper, aluminum, alloys, fiber electric hybridmaterials, fiber optical material or any other material known within theindustry, which is capable of facilitating movement of electric charges,light or any other communication medium. The conductor portion may becapable of facilitating movement of energy capable of powering a deviceor facilitating a communication or control signal between devices. Theconductor portion, or a plurality of conductor portions, may be locatedat substantially the center of the cable, but may also be locatedoff-center or in another position as well.

A jacket may be placed over the conductor portion to insulate it andprotect it from an outside environment. This may include an armoredjacket or other type of jacket to prevent damage to the cable duringuse. Armored jackets may be constructed from metals and other protectivematerials, as is known in the art. In place of the conductor portion, orused in combination thereof, a substantially hollow interior cableportion may also be included in the cable, which may also be referred toas a tube or tubing. This interior cable portion may be used for thetransportation of fluids or similar materials, such as for chemicalinjection or hydraulic control processes. Accordingly, the cable mayinclude any type of cable used with any type of process. The jacket maybe constructed from a variety of materials, including plastics, rubbers,and other insulating materials.

Although when the cable is in use the jacket may fully cover theconductor portion, the jacket or a portion of the jacket may need to beremoved from time to time to access the conductor portion. To allow foreasy and convenient removal of the jacket, the perforation apparatus 10may be used to create a perforated segment on the jacket, or anothersimilar structure having a lower tear strength than other portions ofthe jacket which are not contacted by the perforation apparatus 10. Theperforation that the perforation apparatus 10 creates may becharacterized as a physical attribute given to the cable jacket thatallows for removal of all or a portion of the cable jacket with a lowertear strength than removal of the cable jacket without the perforation.For example, this perforation may include a longitudinal line that runsthe length of the cable that has a lower tear strength than otherportions of the jacket. Of course, other variations on the perforationmay be used.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the pliers assembly 20 of the perforationapparatus 10 may include pliers that are known in the art, such aspliers commonly called locking pliers. The pliers assembly 20 includesthe first and second handles 40, 42 which can be gripped by a user. Eachof the first and second handles 40, 42 are connected, either integrallyor with one or more fasteners, to the first and second jaw members 30,32, respectively. For example, the first and second handles 40, 42 maybe connected together on at least one pivot point, whereby movement ofthe first and/or second handles 40, 42 translates into movement of thefirst or second jaw members 30, 32, as is well known within the art.

The first and second jaw members 30, 32 include first and second jawtips 90, 92 which are positioned at a distal end of the first and secondjaw members 30, 32, respectively. The first and second knife edges 50,52 may be positioned on either the first and second jaw members 30, 32or the first and second jaw tips 90, 92. The first and second jaw tips90, 92 may be provided for proper positioning of the first and secondknife edges 50, 52, especially with a pliers assembly 20 that includes aconventionally-known jaw configuration. One or either of the first andsecond jaw tips 90, 92 may be oriented angularly with respect to thelength of first and second handles 40, 42 to position the first andsecond knife edges 50, 52 at any angle with respect to the closingmotion of the first and second jaw members 30, 32.

The first and second jaw tips 90, 92 may have a variety of shapes andsizes. For example, the first and second jaw tips 90, 92 may include asubstantially pointed oval shape having two pointed edges, as is shownclearly in FIGS. 1 and 2. The substantially pointed oval shape may havea curved outer surface that tapers at each end to pointed edges. Atleast one of the two pointed edges may be positioned at a first end ofthe pointed oval shape, i.e., on one side of the pointed oval shape, andthe other pointed edge may be positioned at a second end of the pointedoval shape, i.e., the other side of the pointed oval shape that isopposite the first side. One of the two pointed edges may form one ofthe first and second knife edges 50, 52 for the first and second jawmember 30, 32.

The first and second knife edges 50, 52 may be integrally formed withthe first and second jaw tips 90, 92, or connected thereto by any othermeans. The first and second knife edges 50, 52 each form a pointed edgethat faces towards the pointed edge of the other. The distance betweenthe first and second knife edges 50, 52 is the closing distance 70,which may be the distance between the two surfaces at any given point oftime. The closing distance 70 may be controlled by a spacing device 60,which may be manipulated to create a specific or intended closingdistance 70. In FIG. 1, the spacing device 60 is illustrated as athreaded bolt that adjusts the distance between the first handle 40 andthe second handle 42 with a connecting structure. This orients the firstand second jaw members 30, 32 to be positioned a predetermined distancefrom one another. For example, when the spacing device 60 is in oneposition, the first and second jaw members 30, 32 may be capable ofclosing fully, i.e., where the first jaw member 30 contacts the secondjaw member 32. In another position of the spacing device 60, the firstand second jaw members 30, 32 may be prevented from contacting.

FIG. 2 is a top-view illustration of the first and second jaw members30, 32 of the perforation apparatus 10, in accordance with the firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen, thefirst and second knife edges 50, 52 are positioned on the ends of thefirst and second jaw tips 90, 92, which are integrally formed with thefirst and second jaw members 30, 32, respectively. These first andsecond knife edges 50, 52 may be used to perforate, cut, or partiallycut through the cable jacket of a cable. The first and second knifeedges 50, 52 may have a variety of different angles, thereby allowingfor various different perforations of cuts to be made in the cablejacket. For example, as is shown in FIG. 2, the first and second jawtips 90, 92 may have a rounded exterior surface and a plurality ofsubstantially straight interior surfaces angularly disposed to oneanother. At the inner terminating end of the first and second jaw tips90, 92, the first and second knife edges 50, 52 are formed. The firstknife edge 50 may have a varying shape, size or configuration than thesecond knife edge 52, as may be required by design. Any other type ofconfiguration of the first and second jaw tips 90, 92 and the first andsecond knife edges 50, 52 may be used, depending on the design of theperforation apparatus 10, all of which are considered within the scopeof the present disclosure.

As can be seen in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the first and second knife edges50, 52 are oriented perpendicular or substantially perpendicular fromthe elongated length of the perforation apparatus 10 and the first andsecond handles 40, 42. In other words, the perforation that the firstand second knife edges 50, 52 create on the jacket of the cable will besubstantially perpendicular to the orientation of the perforationapparatus 10 itself when the perforation is being formed. As one havingskill in the art will recognize, conventional cable jacket cutting orperforating tools all have cutting edges that are oriented in-line orparallel with the elongated length of the cutting tool. However, thisorientation prevents these conventional tools from being able to createa proper cut or perforation along the length of the cable jacket. Theperforation apparatus 10, however, can be used along any portion of thecable jacket to easily create a perforation or cut, such that a sectionof the cable jacket can be removed.

FIG. 3 is a top-view illustration of the perforation apparatus 10, inaccordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The first and second jaw tips 90, 92 (shown in FIGS. 1-2 aswell), may each be positioned to have a width dimension that is largerthan a width dimension of the first and second jaw members 30, 32 (shownin FIG. 1-2). As is shown in FIG. 3, arrows W₁ indicate the width of thefirst jaw member 30 while arrows W₂ indicate the width of the first jawtip 90. W₁ may be slightly or substantially larger than W₂, depending onthe design of the perforation apparatus 10. A jaw tip with a largerwidth dimension may provide for more efficient perforation formingwithin a cable jacket, since each compression of the cable jacket by theperforation apparatus 10 will result in a larger contact surface betweenthe knife edges on the jaw tips to the cable jacket.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cable 80 used with the perforationapparatus (not shown), in accordance with the first exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure. The cable 80 may include a conductor orconducting portion 86, which may be capable of conducting, transporting,or otherwise moving any type of energy, material, or substance. Theconducting portion 86 may be radially surrounded with a cable jacket 82.The perforation apparatus may be used to create perforation segments 88within the cable jacket 82. The depth and shape of the perforationsegments 88 within the cable jacket 82 may be dependent on the size ofthe perforation apparatus 10, namely the size of the jaw tips and jawmembers, as well as dependent on the sharpness of the knife edges, andthe force that the jaw members are closed with. Further, the closingdistance between the first and second knife edges 50, 52 may correspondto a depth of the perforation segment 88 within the cable jacket.

While the depth, size, and shape of the perforation segment 88 may vary,it may be preferable for the perforation segment to be formed aparticular distance through the cable jacket 82. For example, in FIG. 4,the depth of the perforation segment 88 may be expressed by D₁, whereasthe overall thickness of the cable jacket 82 may be D₂. It may bepreferable for the depth of the perforation segment 88, D₁, to be aleast 50% of the thickness of the cable jacket, D₂, or at least 75% ofthe thickness of the cable jacket, D₂. However, other thickness of thedepth of the perforation segment 88 may be desirable depending on otherfactors and characteristics of the perforation apparatus 10 and/or thecable 80.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustration of the first and second jaw members30, 32 of the perforation apparatus 10 in use with a cable 80 and jacket82, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustration of the first and secondjaw members 30, 32 of the perforation apparatus 10 in use with a cable80 and jacket 82, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As is shown, the first and second knife edges50, 52 formed on the first and second jaw tips 90, 92 are engaged with ajacket 82 of the cable 80, where the first and second knife edges 50, 52are forming perforation segments 88 within the jacket 82. Thisperforation segment 88 within the jacket 82 allows the entire jacket 82,or just a portion thereof, to be easily removed. For example, in FIG. 5the portion of the jacket between the first and second knife edges 50,52 may be easily removed after the perforation segments 88 are created.As is shown in FIG. 6, once the perforation segments 88 are created, theperforation apparatus 10 itself may be used to remove this portion ofthe jacket 82. For example, removal of the portion of the jacket 82 maybe accomplished by retaining the portion of the jacket 82 between thefirst and second jaw tips 90, 92 and forcing the perforation apparatus10 away from the cable.

The spacing device 60 (FIG. 1) may be used to control the closingdistance 70 (FIGS. 1-2) of the first and second knife edges 50, 52. Forexample, the spacing device 60 may be set such that the first and secondknife edges 50, 52 have a closing distance 70 that is relative to a sizeof the cable or conductor within the cable 80. This may include thediameter of the cable 80 or conducting portion, or the distance of asegment line or ray that is connected between two points on the surfaceof the cable or conducting portion. By setting the closing distance 70to the desired amount, the perforation apparatus 10 may easily perforatethe jacket 82 without damaging the conducting portion, or any other partof the cable 80, such as any other materials interior of the jacket.

The use of the perforation apparatus 10 may allow for safer, moreconvenient removal of the jacket 82 of the cable 80, since theperforation apparatus 10 can remove the jacket 82 without many of thesafety issues that conventional tools and methods included.Additionally, the perforation apparatus 10 will allow for faster removalof the jacket 82, as well as enable inexperienced workers to remove thejacket 82 of the cable 80 easier than with conventional tools. Theperforation apparatus 10 may be used in varying ways, including withmultiple cables 80 at once when the tool includes multiple knife edges.Furthermore, cables 80 may be manufactured to allow for use of theperforation apparatus 10, such as by extruding a press or indentation inthe length of the cable jacket 82, or periodically every few feet alongthe length, which may allow for removal of fixed sections of the jacket82, as is discussed relative to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustration of a cable 180 having acable jacket 182, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The cable 180 with cable jacket 182 may be usedwith the perforation apparatus 10 discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-6.The cable 180 may include any type of cable device, and may furtherinclude an exterior cable portion 184 and an interior cable portion 186.The exterior cable portion 184 may be a hard or rigid material, such asa metal whereas the interior cable portion 186 may include a conductoror other signal transmission device, or be substantially hollow suchthat it can transport a quantity of fluid. For example, the cable 180may be capable of transmitting electrical or communication signals whenthe interior cable portion 186 includes a conducting material or thecable may have a hollow interior cable portion 186 that allows fluidmaterial to be transported. For example, the cable 180 having a hollowinterior cable portion 186 may be referred to as ‘empty tubing’ and usedfor chemical injection, hydraulic control, etc.

The cable jacked 182 may be extruded on the cable 180 with a predefinedshape, as is shown in FIG. 7. Specifically, the extrusion of the cablejacket 182 may form at least one, but commonly two perforated segmentsor tear-away sections 188, which may have a lesser thickness than otherportions of the cable jacket 182. The tear-away sections 188 may beengaged by the perforation apparatus 10 of the first exemplaryembodiment, which may penetrate through the remaining material betweenthe cable 180 and the tear-away section 188, thereby allowing oneportion of the cable jacket 182, i.e., the portion between the twotear-away sections 188, to be removed from the cable 180. This allowsfor removal of the entire cable jacket 182, or just a portion of thecable jacket 182 while leaving the remaining parts of the cable jacket182 intact. Additionally, this removal of the cable jacket 182 orportion of the cable jacket 182 may be done without a knife, therebyfreeing personnel numerous safety hazards and minimizing damage to thecable which can affect sealing. Likewise, no cord to remove the cablejacket 182 is needed, which is beneficial since cords often requireadditional time for removal, can break, can create a leak path in thecable jacket 182, and/or can still require additional tools to get thecable jacket 182 off.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart 200 illustrating a method of creating aperforation within a cable jacket of a cable, in accordance with a thirdexemplary embodiment of the disclosure It should be noted that anyprocess descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood asrepresenting modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that includeone or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions inthe process, and alternate implementations are included within the scopeof the present disclosure in which functions may be executed out oforder from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrentlyor in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as wouldbe understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the presentdisclosure.

As is shown by block 202, the cable jacket of the cable is contactedwith a first jaw member and second jaw member of a perforationapparatus, wherein at least a portion of the cable jacket is positionedbetween the first and second jaw members. A distance between the firstand second jaw members is closed, thereby positioning a first knife edgeon the first jaw member and a second knife edge on the second jaw memberat least partially within the cable jacket to form at least twoperforation segments, wherein each of the first and second knife edgesare oriented substantially perpendicular to an elongated length of theperforation apparatus, and wherein each of the first and second knifeedges are oriented substantially parallel to an elongated length of thecable (block 204).

The method may also include any number of additional steps, functions,structures, or variations thereof, including any of the functionsdisclosed with respect to any embodiment of this disclosure. Forexample, the closing distance between the first and second jaw membersmay be controlled with a spacing device connected to the perforationapparatus. A predetermined closing distance may be selected byconfiguring the spacing device. When closing the jaw members, the cablejacket may be pierced with the first knife edge and the second knifeedge to form the perforation segments. The perforation segments areformed through at least 50% of a thickness of the cable jacket, at least75% of the thickness of the cable jacket, or through any other thicknessof the cable jacket. The perforation apparatus may be pulled away fromthe cable jacket after closing the distance between the first and secondjaw members and without opening the first and second jaw members,wherein a portion of the cable jacket formed between the at least twoperforation segments is removed from the cable.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, aremerely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for aclear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variationsand modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) ofthe disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andthe present disclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for creating a perforation within acable jacket of a cable, the method comprising the steps of: contactingthe cable jacket of the cable with a first jaw member and second jawmember of a perforation apparatus, wherein at least a portion of thecable jacket is positioned between the first and second jaw members; andclosing a distance between the first and second jaw members, therebypositioning a first knife edge on the first jaw member and a secondknife edge on the second jaw member at least partially within the cablejacket to form at least two perforation segments, wherein each of thefirst and second knife edges are oriented substantially perpendicular toan elongated length of the perforation apparatus, and wherein each ofthe first and second knife edges are oriented substantially parallel toan elongated length of the cable.
 2. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising the step of controlling the closing distance between thefirst and second jaw members with a spacing device connected to theperforation apparatus.
 3. The method of claim 3, further comprising thestep of selecting a predetermined closing distance with the spacingdevice.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein closing the distance betweenthe first and second jaw members further comprises the step of piercingthe cable jacket with the first knife edge and the second knife edge toform the perforation segments, wherein the perforation segments areformed through at least 50% of a thickness of the cable jacket.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the perforation segments are formed throughat least 75% of the thickness of the cable jacket.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising the step of pulling the perforationapparatus away from the cable jacket after the step of closing thedistance between the first and second jaw members and without openingthe first and second jaw members, wherein a portion of the cable jacketformed between the at least two perforation segments is removed from thecable.